2019 Li Veli Susumaniello Askos

Susumaniello is a little-known red-wine grape from Puglia, southern Italy. Grown almost exclusively in the Salice Salento area, and in a tiny number of vineyards around Brindisi, it ranks among the world’s rarest wine grapes. The variety is enjoying a minor surge of popularity in the early 21st Century, due to renewed interest in obscure Italian grape varieties.Used to make both red and rosé wines – sometimes vinified alone but more often blended with Negroamaro. The classic red Susumaniello wine has a deep ruby hue and aromas of red berries and plums. Richer, more concentrated examples show spicy, peppery aromas and flavors of dark chocolate.

Puglia; Well-suited to the production of concentrated, fruity and spicy red varieties, Puglia is one of Italy’s warmest, most southerly regions. Its entire eastern side is one long coastline bordering the Adriatic Sea. About half way down, the region becomes the Salento Peninsula. This peninsula, bordered by water on three sides, receives moist, nighttime, sea breezes that bring a welcome cooling effect to the region, where little rain creates a challenging environment for its vines. In fact, the region is named for the Italian expression, “a pluvia,” meaning “lack of rain.”

Masseria Li Veli is located on an ancient Messapian site dominating the fertile and sunny Salento plain. It was founded by the Marquis Antonio de Viti de Marco (1858-1943), an internationally known Italian economist and university professor, Radical Party Deputy of the Reign of Italy, whose ambitious project was to transform the Masseria into a model cellar for the entire South.